Pre-debate: wrestlers, movies and a small-town gem

Waiting for the vice-presidential debate, some viewers might fidget.
The event starts at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday (Oct. 1). At 8 p.m., the choices include … well, political previews on ABC, CBS, NBC and news channels.
Alternatives? I’d recommend “Murder in a Small Town” (shown here), at 8 p.m. on Fox; it might be the season’s best surprise. But let’s look at the others first:
— On CW: After being elsewhere – Syfy, USA, webcasts – for 14 years, “WWE NXT” has signed a five-year deal with CW. It plans a two-hour show at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, starting this week. This focuses on younger wrestlers who hope to become Friday-night stars. Heroes and villains thrash each other … which makes it sort of like the debates.
— On PBS: “The American Vice President” (8 p.m., under the “American Experience” banner) recalls a time when the job was ignored. (We hear about Abraham Lincoln much more than his first V-P, Hannibal Hamlin.) Then that changed; this interesting hour focuses on two vice presidents – Lyndon Johnson and Gerald Ford – who emerged in tough times.
— On cable: There are plenty of movies, many of them overlapping with the debate. The best is James Cameron’s brilliant “Terminator” (1984), from 6:59 to 9:30 p.m. on Syfy. Freeform is in its Halloween-lite mode, with “Beetlejuice” (1988) from 6:45 to 8:50 p.m. And Showtime has “Heat” (1995), pairing Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, from 7-10 p.m.
–Streaming: A new episode of “Only Murders in the Building” arrives Tuesday, with quirky twists. This time, it’s seen through the cameras of the Brothers Sisters, who have a macabre sense of movies and life.
— And on Fox: “Murder in a Small Town” is easy to ignore. It’s quiet and Canadian, with understated characters. But in its own way, it’s terrific.
At the core (shown here) are a librarian and her new love interest, the police chief. She’s played by Kristin Kreuk, who’s been a star (“Smallville,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Burden of Truth”) for more than half of her 41 years. He’s played by Rossif Sutherland, 46, who has somehow eluded much attention.
His father and half-brother (Donald and Kiefer Sutherland) both found fame. But Rossif moved to France with his mother at 7; his early roles were sometimes in Europe or Canada. He landed a few key roles – 11 episodes of “ER”; 19 playing Nostradamus in “Reign” – but none like this.
Police Chief Karl Alberg is unlike other fictional cops. He’s outdoorsy and soft-spoken. He’s shy around the beautiful librarian, respectful around suspects. In the first episode, he showed empathy for the killer; in the second, he showed he could break up a fight and confront a gunman.
Sutherland – 6-foot-6, with a gentle manner – inhabits him perfectly. His small town has great scenery, good people and, from time to time, killers. It’s a fine place to visit before the debate.